PHROC Sends Letter to UN High Commissioner and Special Rapporteurs on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders

Earlier this week, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC) issued a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ZeidRa’ad Al Hussein, numerous Special Rapporteurs, and independent experts on attacks against human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Occupied Palestine Territory and within the Green Line. PHROC highlighted that Palestinian HRDs are regularly subjected to armed violence, travel bans, arrest, detention, defamation campaigns, and restrictions on movement, amongst other measures, by Israel. In the letter, PHROC underscored the importance of the UN to take action, including by:

Issuing public statements affirming unambiguously the duty of all states to respect and protect the rights of freedom of expression, association, and assembly, amongst other rights, while affirming the right to participate in and call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) actions;

Investigating and reporting, by means of country visits or otherwise, attacks against HRDs in the OPT, Israel, and other countries where HRDs working on issues related to Palestine face intimidation or arbitrary legislative or administrative restrictions;

Intervening with all states concerned for guarantees of the safety and integrity of HRDs currently at risk or under attack, and for an immediate halt and reversal in state policies which facilitate these attacks; and

Requesting the office of the OHCHR and the delegation of the European Union in the OPT and Israel to extend their protection to all HRDs, including those active in the BDS movement.